Toughest MLB Managers of All Time
If you’re not a big fan of the Human Element, the automated umpire can’t get here soon enough. Yet a part of us will miss the human side of calling games.
Because as boring as baseball can be sometimes, imagine what will it be without the eye-popping, vein-bulging, chaw-spitting, cap-turning, venom-spewing, finger-wagging brouhahas to liven it up between those slow walks from the bullpen? The thought of a bewildered manager with his fist raised at some electronic gizmo upstairs doesn’t exactly send a thrill up our leg.
There’s a method to the madness, of course. Some managers can’t seem to get the hang of it. Others can turn the slightest of slights into a Pepto-Bismol moment. So before they go the way of 2 1/2-hour games, let’s flip our lids to some of the best communicators/connivers/spit disturbers ever.
Warning: Beef with any of these, buster, and you’re outta here!
25. Bobby Valentine
Career: 1985-92, 1996-2002, 2012 (16 seasons)
Teams: Texas Rangers (1985-92), New York Mets (1996-2002), Boston Red Sox (2012)
Record: 1,186-1,165 (.504)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 3.0
Bottom Line for Bobby Valentine
Bobby V. argued so many ball-strike calls that he finally became a vocal proponent of the techno ump. "It's almost impossible to do what they do, so why do we ask them to do the impossible?" he argued.
While the guy was as snarky as they came, he also had a sense of humor about him. After an ejection in the 2000 season, he famously put on a disguise in the clubhouse and returned to the dugout.
So amused were league officials, he was socked with a $5,000 fine and a two-game suspension.
24. Lloyd McClendon
Career: 2001-05, 2014-15 (7 seasons)
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (2001-05), Seattle Mariners (2014-15)
Record: 499-607 (.451)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 4.1
Bottom Line for Lloyd McClendon
For best theatrical performance, we nominate Lloyd McClendon's piece of work in the 2001 season.
The irate Pirate threw his hat at second base, then stormed to first, where he uprooted the base while Rick Reed turned to stone, lugged it to the opposite dugout and flung it into the clubhouse tunnel to the delight of Buccos fans everywhere. Wait, there’s more. His team rallied to win without him.
Yeah, we know what his record says, but the Jim Leyland protege deserves to be here for that marvelous meltdown alone.
23. Joe Torre
Career: 1977-84, 1990-2010 (29 seasons)
Teams: New York Mets (1977-81), Atlanta Braves (1982-84), St. Louis Cardinals (1990-95), New York Yankees (1996-2010)
Record: 2,326-1,997 (.538)
World Series championships: 4 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Ejections/162: 2.5
Bottom Line for Joe Torre
Don’t let that composed demeanor fool you.
The Brooklyn native knew every bad word in the book — and some that weren’t in the book — and he wasn’t afraid to use them in a heated debate.
After his managerial days, Joe Torre served as the MLB dean of discipline, a position for which he was well qualified.
22. Frank Robinson
Career: 1975-77, 1981-84, 1988-91, 2002-06 (16 seasons)
Teams: Cleveland Indians (1975-77), San Francisco Giants (1981-84), Baltimore Orioles (1988-91), Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (2002-06)
Record: 1,065-1,176 (.475)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 2.0
Bottom Line for Frank Robinson
F. Robbie hated to be embarrassed almost as much as he hated to lose, least of all by someone in blue.
Al Clark once ejected him while the national anthem was in progress. We believe it was after the fifth word ... Ohhh, say, you can’t see ..."
Footnote: Clark was the first ump to wear glasses regularly.
21. Bruce Bochy
Career: 1995-2019 (25 seasons)
Teams: San Diego Padres (1995-2006), San Francisco Giants (2007-19)
Record: 2,003-2,029 (.497)
World Series championships: 3 (2010, 2012, 2014)
Ejections/162: 3.1
Bottom Line for Bruce Bochy
When this bear of a man dragged his gimpy left hip and two bum knees to home plate, he passed for John Wayne in "True Grit." Fill your hand, you son-of-a-(blank).
At 6-foot-3, the former catcher had that kind of physical presence about him. He didn’t beef as much in his Padres days, but that changed when he moved north, where his Giants teams had more talent.
And the stakes were higher.
20. Mike Hargrove
Career: 1991-2003, 2005-07 (16 seasons)
Teams: Cleveland Indians (1991-99), Baltimore Orioles (2000-03), Seattle Mariners (2005-07)
Record: 1,188-1,173 (.503)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 3.4
Bottom Line for Mike Hargrove
The Human Rain Day was known for his caustic wit and rare kindness.
After the skipper went toe-to-toe with Richie Garcia one day, he stormed back to the dugout, but not before he turned to say, "Oh, by the way, happy (bleeping) birthday!"
Joe Brinkman tossed him in the first inning of Game 2 of the 1998 ALDS. After three pitches.
19. Joe Maddon
Career: 1996, 1999, 2006-present (16 seasons)
Teams: California-Anaheim Angels (1996, 1999), Tampa Bay Devils Rays-Rays (2006-14), Chicago Cubs (2015-19), Los Angeles Angels (2020-present)
Record: 1,252-1,068 (.540)
World Series championships: 1 (2016)
Ejections/162: 3.6
Bottom Line for Joe Maddon
Remember his phrase "Try not to suck" that became the 2016 Cubs motto? Well, we wonder if Joe Mad ever considered that advice to the umps before a game.
He’s one of those old-school managers who goes out of his way to protect players, and while more than one umpire has grown tired of his frequent forays on the field, he has their undivided attention.
His 63 career heave-ho's rank second among active managers.
18. Ron Gardenhire
Career: 2002-14, 2018-present (15 seasons)
Teams: Minnesota Twins (2002-14), Detroit Tigers (2018-present)
Record: 1,179-1,251 (.485)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 5.5
Bottom Line for Ron Gardenhire
No one gets more for his donations to the league office than the leader in ejections (83) among active managers.
Gardy parties are more fun than the average Tigers game, those with BFF Joe West especially.
Gardenhire had a career-high eight ejections in the 2019 season, three short of the team record owned by another fiery skipper.
17. Fred Hutchinson
Career: 1952-54, 1956-64 (12 seasons)
Teams: Detroit Tigers (1952-54), St. Louis Cardinals (1956-58), Cincinnati Reds (1959-64)
Record: 830-827 (.501)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 3.8
Bottom Line for Fred Hutchinson
Don’t poke The Bear. Because The Bear would poke back harder.
The accomplished ex-pitcher was a fiery competitor (read: bad loser) with an itchy tongue. In the minors, he would vent on a punching bag with the cartoon face of an umpire in the clubhouse.
According to The Sporting News account, he needed all of 26 minutes to have his first confrontation in the big leagues.
16. Terry Francona
Career: 1997-present (19 seasons)
Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), Boston Red Sox (2004-11), Cleveland Indians (2013-present)
Record: 1,667-1,409 (.542)
World Series championships: 2004, 2007
Ejections/162: 2.5
Bottom Line for Terry Francona
Some pompous butts believe they reinvented baseball. Others like to be seen as much as to be heard. Then are the more respected types such as Tito, who understands the art of debate is more about quality than quantity.
Because the two-time manager of the year picks his spots wisely — he has been ejected once in three seasons (2017-2019) — his beefs tend to carry more weight.
15. Bobby Cox
Career: 1978-85, 1990-2010 (29 seasons)
Teams: Atlanta Braves (1978-81, 1990-2010), Toronto Blue Jays (1982-85)
Record: 2,504-2,001 (.556)
World Series championships: 1 (1995)
Ejections/162: 5.7
Bottom Line for Bobby Cox
We included this compulsive hat-thrower based on sheer volume more than anything.
The guy whined more than a Pleasant Valley teenager. His 161 career ejections (postseason included) are the most in major league history by a country mile. And his 11 in the 2001 season are tied for first.
Truth is, when one considers that Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux had strike zones the size of Fulton County, Bobby Cox had no business to argue much of anything.
14. Lou Piniella
Career: 1986-88, 1990-2005, 2007–10 (23 seasons)
Teams: New York Yankees (1986-88), Cincinnati Reds (1990-92), Seattle Mariners (1993-2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003-05), Chicago Cubs (2007-10)
Record: 1,835-1,713 (.517)
World Series championships: 1 (1990)
Ejections/162: 2.9
Bottom Line for Lou Piniella
Nothing could turn Sweet Lou into a stark-raving lunatic like a blown call, perceived or otherwise.
"I wish I hadn’t gone through the gyrations that I did," he conceded at a Yankees Old-Timers Day not long ago. "I’m very, very passionate, but I probably overdid it at times."
Yeah, probably. He went so far as to accuse Gary Darling of bias against his team (the Reds) after an overturned call, a charge that resulted in a $5-million libel suit that was settled out of court.
13. Jim Leyland
Jim LeylandCareer: 1986-99, 2006-13 (22 seasons)
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-96), Florida Marlins (1997-98), Colorado Rockies (1999), Detroit Tigers (2006-13)
Record: 1,769-1,728 (.506)
World Series championships: 1 (1997)
Ejections/162: 3.3
Bottom Line for Jim Leyland
The typical Humperdinck eruption began innocently enough, quickly built up to a heated exchange and finished with a volcanic eruption of blind rage.
Umps also dreaded these close encounters for the face full of hot tobacco breath they were sure to get for their troubles.
His 72 premature exits rank 10th in MLB history.
12. Billy Martin
Career: 1969, 1971-83, 1985, 1988 (16 seasons)
Teams: Detroit Tigers (1969), Texas Rangers (1971-73), Minnesota Twins (1973-75), New York Yankees (1975-79, 1983, 1985, 1988), Oakland Athletics (1980-82)
Record: 1,253-1,013 (.553)
World Series championships: 1 (1977)
Ejections/162: 3.3
Bottom Line for Billy Martin
Billy Martin was Mickey Mantle’s long-time drinking buddy and once charged pitcher Jim Brewer on the field and landed a roundhouse right to the orbital bone.
So if you were one of the men in blue, this was the last madman you wanted to see storm out of the dugout, sober or not. Uh, do you know that Martin also punched out a marshmallow salesman?
As The Mick put it, "Billy is the only guy in the world who can hear someone give him the finger."
11. Frank Frisch
Career: 1933-38, 1940-46, 1949-51 (16 seasons)
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1933-38), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940-46), Chicago Cubs (1949-51)
Record: 1,138-1,078 (.514)
World Series championships: 1 (1934)
Ejections/162: 6.3
Bottom Line for Frank Frisch
The Fordham Flash had a quick temper matched only by his swiftness out of the dugout.
In the 1941 season, on a rainy day in Brooklyn, he brought an umbrella to Jocko Conlan as a not-so-subtle hint to cease play. The skipper was told to take another shower.
Norman Rockwell captured the comedic scene in a painting that would appear on a Saturday Evening Post cover years later.
10. Paul Richards
Career: 1951-61, 1976 (12 seasons)
Teams: Chicago White Sox (1951-54, 1976), Baltimore Orioles (1955-61)
Record: 923-901 (.506)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 7.2
Bottom Line for Paul Richards
Of his many nicknames, our favorite was "The Pope" because of his advanced age and perceived infallibility.
Really, what does an ump say to someone called The Pope? "Your Holiness, I believe you could be mistaken"? Then request a papal blessing and take a knee?
This baseball lifer was the only manager to get tossed as many as 10 times in a season with two different teams. He was widely believed to have the foulest mouth of any manager in his era, but none got more out of less talented teams in the same breath.
9. Clark Griffith
Career: 1901-20 (20 seasons)
Teams: Chicago White Sox (1901-02), New York Highlanders (1903-08), Cincinnati Reds (1909-11), Washington Senators (1912-20)
Record: 1,491-1,367 (.522)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 3.9
Bottom Line for Clark Griffith
"The Old Fox' was the American League version of John McGraw, a crafty, combustible character who never saw a close play he couldn’t protest or rule he couldn’t debate.
The future Hall of Famer retired with 68 career ejections, which stood as the league record for 40 years.
Fine print: Clark Griffith was a player-manager for six seasons.
8. Casey Stengel
Career: 1934-36, 1938-43, 1949-60, 1962-65 (25 seasons)
Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-36), Boston Bees-Braves (1938-43), New York Yankees (1949-60), New York Mets (1962-65)
Record: 1,905-1,842 (.508)
World Series championships: 7 (1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958)
Ejections/162: 1.7
Bottom Line for Casey Stengel
The "Ol’ Professor" didn’t argue with the umps as much as he lectured them. He was known for his quick comebacks and convoluted one-liners.
When Marv Throneberry was called out because he didn’t tag second base after an apparent home run, an umpire advised him, "Don’t bother to argue, Casey — he missed first base, too."
The next batter homered, after which the Mets skipper followed him around the bases and pointed to every one of them along the way.
7. Tommy Lasorda
Career: 1976-96 (21 seasons)
Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 1,599-1,439 (.526)
World Series championships: 2 (1981, 1988)
Ejections/162: 2.3
Bottom Line for Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasagna owns the unofficial record for most f-bombs and c-words dropped in front of the media, but the umps, not quite as many.
The former pitcher had fewer than three ejections in 15 seasons. Instead, from the moment the skipper set foot in Vero Beach, Fla., each spring, he made a point to schmooze the men in blue.
Heck, he even convinced Bob Davidson to toss the Expos mascot out of a game in Montreal once.
6. Tony La Russa
Career: 1979-2011 (33 seasons)
Teams: Chicago White Sox (1979-86), Oakland Athletics (1987-1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011)
Record: 2,728-2,365 (.536)
World Series championships: 3 (1999, 2006, 2011)
Ejections/162: 2.7
Bottom Line for Tony La Russa
This four-time manager of the year was an umpire’s worst nightmare — a hard-ass with a law degree.
When he and tag-team partner Jim Leyland stalked 50-year-old broadcaster Jimmy Piersall in a TV studio early in their careers, it was a hint of thuggery to come. Whether they were umpires, opponents or media, there wasn’t anyone this guy wouldn’t bully to gain an advantage.
Nobody kept a closer score, either. He was hell-bent on retaliation whether real or imagined, which kept the men in blue on constant notice.
5. Dick Williams
Career: 1967-69, 1971-88 (21 seasons)
Teams: Boston Red Sox (1967-69), Oakland Athletics (1971-73), California Angels (1974-76), Montreal Expos (1977-81), San Diego Padres (1982-85), Seattle Mariners (1986-88)
Record: 1,571-1,451 (.540)
World Series championships: 2 (1972, 1973)
Ejections/162: 2.2
Bottom Line for Dick Williams
This stickler for details had run-ins with everyone from Hall of Famer Ted Williams to team owner Charles Finley and the umpires in between.
Yet while brutally honest, he tended not to hold grudges, which coupled with his knowledge of the game earned him widespread respect.
In 1968, when umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine were abruptly fired for their union activities, he went to bat for them despite past differences on the field.
4. Gene Mauch
Career: 1960-82, , 1985-87 (26 seasons)
Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1960-68), Montreal Expos (1969-75), Minnesota Twins (1976-80), California Angels (1981-82, 1985-87)
Record: 1,902-2,037 (.483)
World Series championships: None
Ejections/162: 1.8
Bottom Line for Gene Mauch
This schrewdie played the umps like the Philadelphia Orchestra. When one declined to give Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning a new ball, he went to the mound, grabbed the one in play, dropped it to the ground, spiked it with a shoe, then was given a replacement.
He was the first manager to employ double switches regularly, which also allowed for more debate time with the plate umpire, of course.
And when Skip didn’t get his way, he was known to throw bats out of the dugout or spareribs in the clubhouse.
3. Leo Durocher
Career: 1939-1946, 1948-55, 1966-73 (24 seasons)
Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers (1939-46, 1948), New York Giants (1948-55), Chicago Cubs (1966-72), Houston Astros (1972-73)
Record: 2,008-1,709 (.540)
World Series championships: 1 (1954)
Ejections/162: 4.2
Bottom Line for Leo Durocher
"Leo The Lip" once said that nice guys finish last. Yeah, and hyper-aggressive, egomaniacal managers often finish games in the clubhouse, too.
His career confrontation came in the 1961 season, when he attempted to kick dirt on mortal enemy Jocko Conlan, only to slip and strike the ump on the shin guards instead.
Then Conlan hauled off and kicked him back. How did actress Laraine Day ever last 12 years with Durocher?
2. Earl Weaver
Career: 1968-82, 1985-86 (17 seasons)
Teams: Baltimore Orioles
Record: 1,480-1,060 (.583)
World Series championships: 1 (1970)
Ejections/162: 6.0
Bottom Line for Earl Weaver
For sheer entertainment value, The Earl of Baltimore has no peer. The guy was the sorest of losers with the biggest of Napoleon complexes, a 5-foot-7, potty-mouthed pit bull who treated umpires like so many fire hydrants.
"He's a pest, an insult to baseball, a clown that goes under the guise of a manager," Steve Palermo described him. Fellow ump Jim Evans called Weaver "baseball’s Son of Sam."
Love him or loathe him, he intimidated a lot of umpires and won a lot of games.
1. John McGraw
Career: 1978-1985, 1990-2010 (33 seasons)
Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1899, 1901-02), New York Giants (1902-1932)
Record: 2,763-1,948 (.586)
World Series championships: 1905, 1921, 1922
Ejections/162: 2.1
Bottom Line for John McGraw
"Little Napoleon" was all of that — a cutthroat dictator who would lie, cheat and/or steal to win a baseball game. "He ate gunpowder every morning and washed it down with warm blood," one arbiter said of him.
The future Hall of Famer didn’t just vent on umpires but could even change minds on occasion, so great was their fear and respect for him. In the 1905 season, he was thrown out a still-record 11 times while his Giants won 105 games and the World Series title.
Connect the dots, people.